A few years back, I read an article on surf legend, Gerry Lopez, and they asked him, “How are you able to stay in the water everyday?” His answer was simple, Yoga.
When my first water injury hit I decided to try out his advice. He was dead-on. Engaging in a regular practice of Yoga has helped me to avoid innumerable injuries over the years and months. I would even say it has improved my overall strength, agility, and endurance.
I highly recommend the following 10-minute videos: Yoga for surfers. There are two episodes (6-minute, 4-minute) that cover 7 simple stretches. Do them at home for a while until you can memorize them, and then do them right before you go in the water. It is the perfect warm-up for the all the surfing muscles, it gives you 10-mins to watch the waves (find where you wanna go out at), improves your balance, and, for me, calms me down before my session.
Enjoy!
**PS – If you have a favorite Yoga or pre-surf routine, what is it?